Lyle Elric and the World of Magic
by Luferius
Summary: Lyle is a 22 year old American college dropout. Gypped out of his chance at a successful life by the supremely insane machinations of his mother, Lyle finds himself wondering if there's more to the world. A surprise comes knocking in the form of Minerva O'hara, an Englishwoman from the U.K. who tells Lyle a tale that he scarcely believes at first, but after a demonstration. A/U201
1. Chapter 1: Lyle

Lyle Elric and the World of Magic

Chapter One: Lyle

Lyle Elric was not a normal boy. Heck, he couldn't even be considered a boy anymore. In his early twenties, Lyle had been through a proverbial Hell and back again. Sure, he was more fortunate than others across the world, but that didn't detract from his personal sufferings. When Lyle was small, he and his mother got along famously. They were practically inseperable. However, several months before his fourth birthday, Lyle recieved the news that he was going to be an older brother. Finally, he wouldn't be considered the baby. He'd been ecstatic at the time. Over the next 7 months, Lyle turned five years old, had a better birthday than usual despite his family's low income, and even got along better with his sister Jane than usual. Things were looking up. However, the fateful day came, and his smallest brother Luke was born. After that, Lyle's mom had no time for him. Usually, the mother HAS to devote all of her time to her smallest, in order to properly care for them. However, while Lyle's kind hearted father did his best to pay attention to all of his children, his mother seemed fixated on her eldest, and her youngest. Lyle was then suffering from "middle child syndrome". Often, he'd think about sneaking out, somehow carrying his dad down the steps with him while he slept, and driving off... Even though he didn't really know how to drive, nor could he see over the top of the dashboard.

Rather than fade over the years, his mother's disinterest in Lyle only grew further. Sure, sometimes she would stand up for him when the neighborhood kids messed with him, and after he started school, she put the teacher in her place for trying to force the left handed Lyle to write with his less able hand. But it pretty well stopped there. On trips alone later in life with his mother and siblings, she would purchase snacks and drinks for Luke and Jane, but seemingly forgot about Lyle. However, he sucked up and moved on. He knew that his father would never forget about him, and that was comforting in it's own way.

Throughout Lyle's life, he could literally look back and tie most of the travesties in his past to his mother. For instance, a scarce four years after Luke's birth in 1998, Lyle's father Patrick had decided he'd had enough of his wife's machinations. After informing Karen, (Lyle's mother,) that he no longer wished to be married to her... Well, she wasn't happy. Lyle's family was rather intelligent, all things considered. Despite this, Patrick Elric could hardly ever find a well paying job, even in the relatively decent economy of the 1990's. One of the reasons the senior Elric wanted the divorce, was simply because his significant other was always trying to find a way to keep him home. Especially after becoming a truck driver. Karen was worried inside that her Patrick would run off with a lot lizard, and never return home. However, her clingy, desperate nature was clouding her judgement. Patrick, while having his faults, was a responsible, loyal man. His loyalties had their limits, like everyone's loyalties, but his stretched miles further.

Desperate to bring the family back together so she could continue to sponge off of Patrick, Karen began turning to the popular media of the time to figure out what to do. Using books like Stephen King's "Carrie", or the Country song, "Sunny Came Home", and twisting them to her own needs, Karen Elric discovered a way to potentially bring them together. Crisis is always what brings people close together in fiction. However in real life, it's a huge gamble, especially to use a fabricated crisis. Not heeding this bit of common sense, Karen put her books and two-bit songs to rest, and put her plan into action. One day, shortly before Patrick got off of work, she sent Lyle and his siblings out with the dogs to check the mail. Being kids, they didn't really see any hidden agenda, and they obeyed.

When they returned to the house with a thick stack of credit card bills and mortgage statements, they were shocked to see the back half of the trailer they lived in being swallowed up by rolling flames. Standing in front of the fire with a sort of dazed expression upon her countenance, Karen Elric simply stood there until she heard the screams of her children. Lyle's was especially loud due to the fact that it was HIS room that started burning first. Whether it was an attempt to look like she was doing something about it, or even a fleeting last moment surge of regret, Lyle's mother began trying to put the fire out with the hose connected to their grandmother's house. Living out in the country, nobody would see the fire until the smoke rose to a sizeable height, and by then it'd be too late. Rushing into his grandmother's house and grabbing the phone, Lyle desperately called 911, blubbering into the phone about a fire, never once thinking that it was his mother's doing.

Needless to say, once the fire was put out, there was no saving anything. The blaze had started at pilot for the gas water heater, and moved quickly backwards. Once the flame had consumed Lyle's room, it progressed forward and enveloped their home in a hellish blaze before the fire department arrived. This briefly united the Elric clan as per Karen's wishes, but after the investigation of the fire damage, it was clear to Patrick that his soon to be ex wife was clearly more unstable than he'd originally anticipated.

This was just one of the many things that happened to Lyle over the years, one of the many things that forced him to swallow his bile and face the world with a fierce gaze. Years of bottling up his emotions gave way to a need to comfort himself without showing weakness. Depression is not a sign of weakness. No, it is a sign of remaining too strong for too long. It happens to all of us, who put up a face to show the world. Lyle had always been a rather good looking kid, having several girlfriends throughout middle school. But after turning 14, his still-developing psyche couldn't take it anymore. He broke down and began eating as a way to cope. Going from a skinny 120 pounds to 160 in a matter of months, Lyle's sudden weight gain frightened him. Trying to cut back on what he ate worked, but only for the next couple of years. The facade began eating way at him more and more, and by the time he was 16, Lyle had dropped out of High School and attained his G.E.D. through Job Corps. The stress of being in a school-like environment with 200 other adolescants and even full grown adults had taken it's toll on Lyle's body. Once more resorting to eating to relieve stress, Lyle had reached 200 pounds. Though he looked to be about 40 pounds lighter than that, Lyle was devastated. His mild good looks had been ruined by the sudden weight gain, and that drove him further into depression.

Now six years later, Lyle stares into his computer screen, his fingers ablaze as they race across the keyboard. Weighing 240 pounds, and still looking only 200, Lyle is playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. Sighing, and leaning back as the Warzone ends, Lyle looked up at the ceiling, noticing the irregular bumps and patterns of the upper wall of his apartment. These days, Lyle could sit around and play games as long as he wanted, eat what he wanted, and sleep whenenever and however long he wanted. Yet a stroke of melancholy plucks at his heartstrings like a guitarist plays a chord. He feels that there's something out there he's missing. Lyle is by no means a total shutin. He has real life friends who he can visit, and they visit him pretty often despite the absolute mess of his apartment. He goes Karaokeing every now and again in an attempt to meet girls, and woo them with his teddy bearish looks, shaggy hair, fierce eyes, and low tenor voice. It doesn't work often, but once in a while a girl becomes interested enough for Lyle to charm her.

Lyle was confident of his charm. All he had to do was get someone interested in something about him, and he could pretty well get anything he wanted. It was a trick he had picked up watching his mother all those years, and it was one of the most useful things he could have ever learned from her. It had gotten him out of trouble with law enforcement a few times in the past couple of years as well. However, it was getting them interested romantically that was the hard part. Lyle's looks fell into a category that not many girls like. Well... Not many attractive girls, anyway. Lyle's "type" of girl was often shallow, though he hated that part about him. He wanted women to look past his husky exterior, but he wouldn't do the same for very many women. In short, Lyle was something of a hypocrite.

However, Lyle was also extremely intelligent. His mother's criminal tendancies had stuck with him, but he used them only when necessary. Other times, he could figure a way to get what he wanted or needed without having to rely on his mother's gifts. Though, it was his mother's "gifts" that had landed him where he was now. Unemployed, living on a fixed income. Hell, he was practically unemployable, due to his shoddy work history. All of this went through his mind as he stared at the ceiling. Exhaling softly, the rush of air hot upon his lips, Lyle turns his attention back to the game, queueing up for another Warzone before hearing a knock on the door...

Author's Note: Phew! I sure rambled on that one, huh? Oh, well. I felt that I needed to paint a picture of what Lyle's life has been like so far. At first you think he's whining and hasn't gotten over his Mommy issues, but eventually you'll see what makes him such an interesting character. Who's at the door? Gimme a bit to finish Chapter 2, and you'll find out. I'll have it up some time today, and perhaps with another chapter. Forgive the low word-count for now, it'll increase as my imagination gives way to the important stuff.

P.S. I need a beta. Badly. Holy crap, do I need a beta. A Britpicker would be nice, but it's not an absolute requirement. On that note, shoot me some reviews. I'll take the good, bad, and the ugly with grace. I enjoy feedback. =D


	2. Chapter 2: Magic, Money, and Weight Loss

Chapter 2: The Ministry Woman

Rising to his feet, Lyle looks at the clock. It was July 28th, 2012. His father wouldn't be here to give him the money for rent for another three days. Shrugging, Lyle figures it was likely Jordan. Jordan and Brian went way back, being best friends since Elementary School. Even after Brian had moved out of the country and into the capital of the state they lived in, they'd remained close. Now Lyle was living much closer, only being about 25 miles away. A visit from Jordan was always unexpected, and the only thing you could be sure of was that the taller man would more than likely eat most of the food Lyle had bought for himself. Another knock comes as Lyle untangles himself from the mess of cords that had somehow managed to wrap themselves around him during his game. Shaking them off, Lyle unlatches the door expecting to see his best friend. However, the personage before him wasn't of his tall redneck friend, but of a petite, slender woman. She looked to be in about her late teens, which intrigued Lyle. However, her age quickly vanished from his mind as he took her in completely.

Her short stature and slight frame detracted nothing from how absolutely stunning she was. Standing at only 5'3, she had red hair, a light dusting of freckles around her nose, and shocking emerald eyes. Looking into those eyes was like staring into a pile of slowly melting gems. As he stood there marveling at how they reflected the light in different ways, he realized she was speaking. Shaking his head, and gathering his bearings, Lyle asks, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

Obviously put off, the woman's eyes narrow, and she continues from where she left off. Her accent was posh, and was far different than the incessant Arkansas twang Lyle was so used to hearing. Yet beneath the British overtones, he dectected a slightly huskier note that sounded Scotish to him. "As I was saying, before you spaced out," the young woman states with a scowl, "I'm Minerva O'hara. I'm from an agency interested in your very specific talents. Might I come in and have a word?"

Slightly stunned, Lyle nods, ushering her in only to regret it immediately. His apartment was an absolute sty. It wasn't as messy as it could be, but that didn't detract from the discarded Coke cans laying about, the cracked egg shells lying on the stove in the kitchenette, and the pile of dirty clothes resting by the bathroom door. Cringing, Lyle utters, "Sorry for the mess... I live alone, so I don't often have the mind to clean up." Absolutely sure she was going to turn on her heel and stomp out, Lyle awaits her next move.

However, all she does is shrug. Out loud, she affirms, "Yes, perhaps it's better this way. You might need a demonstration." Turning to the American youth, she states, "As I said, my agency is very interested in your specific talents. Talents that need to be expanded of course, but we can also provide you with the schooling necessary for that."

Frowning yet again, Lyle tilts his head to the side, his shaggy brown hair cascadingover his greenish blue eyes in an oddly canine fashion. It was a habit he'd picked up simply from being around lots of dogs growing up. They tended to cock their heads to one side when they were confused, and Lyle had inadvertantly picked it up. "My talents?", Lyle wondered. He was an average hacker to be sure, and sometimes he put those talents to use with local businesses in order to make some extra cash and keep them secure. However, he didn't think it was special enough to send him to school for it.

"Indeed Mr. Elric, your talents." With this, Minerva removes what appeared to be a slightly yellowing sheet of paper from her pocket. Upon handing it to Lyle, she says, "You'll want to read that." When his fingers brush up against the folded piece of stationary, his head cocks to the other side this time as his fingers register the distinct feel of dried animal skin. This was no ordinary paper. This was parchment. Wondering why such a well kempt woman as her self was carrying around a dusty bit of parchment, Lyle unfolds the skin and begins to read.

Emblazoned on the page were the words, "Ministry of Magic". This elicits yet ANOTHER tilt of his head, causing a sudden spasm to go off in his vertebrae. Grimacing, Lyle waits for the brief seizure to pass before continuing.

"By order of the Ministry of Magic, Mr. Lyle Ambrosius Elric of Hot Springs, Arkansas is hereby selected to recieve a full "AR11" Reversal Potion in order to begin his schooling. Due to the nature of such reversal potions, he will be informed of the risks of such elixirs and given a chance to forfeit this chance."

"In the event of his forfeiture, his memory will be Obliviated by the staff on-hand, and his current assets in Gringotts will be auctioned off or donated to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in order to fund our Public Relief program for new students. Signed, Kingsley Shacklebolt - Order of Merlin 1st Class, Minister of Magic".

Utterly befuddled, Lyle raises his left eyebrow as he looks to Minerva, doubt all too evident in his expression. He'd never heard of any of these things, and the fact that this woman appeared to be claiming to be from a magical government in Britain appeared to be all too much for him. Shaking his head, a smile upon his face, he asks, "Did Jordan put you up to this? This is pretty elaborate for a prank of his. I have to congratulate him later."

Rolling her eyes, Minerva reaches into her pocket once more as she says, "Oh, just shut up and watch." From the confines of her pocket, she withdraws a polished wooden stick. No, you couldn't call it a stick really. It was more like a pointer for a projector, only made of a rich red wood. Cherry, Lyle guessed. However, all thoughts of the instrument's purpose vanish as Minerva waves the pointer, and all the trash in his apartment disappears.

Lyle blinks once, then twice. And finally a third time as his mind tries to put together what happened. With a simple flick of the wrist, Minerva had cleaned his apartment. It wasn't a stark clean, but it was cleaner than the place had been in months. The trash was gone, important documents were stashed in a neat pile on Lyle's desk, and the dishes were doing themselves. Lyle's old laptop, the one that hadn't worked in months, was now booting up in the corner as well as Minerva cast another spell evidently designed to repair broken objects. Lyle gathered this not from the laptop, but from the glass he'd dropped yesterday. He'd been mindful enough to pick up the pieces and set them in the sink, but now it was being washed along with the other dishes.

Astounded, Lyle takes a deep breath and sits down on the couch in the other room, his mind working furiously to keep up with what had just happened. Taking a seat next to him, Minerva doesn't even give him any time to digest the information any further before she starts pulling more documents out of her purse. Passing them over to Lyle, she states, "These are your Gringotts forms. I'll explain those in a moment." Handing him a few more documents that seemed important, all hand-written in cursive on the same sort of parchment the order from the Minister had been on. Looking up at Minerva, he asks, "Who... Who exactly are you?"

Smiling for the first time since she'd gotten there, Minerva states, "The question, Mr. Elric, is who are you?" As only confusion shows on Lyle's face, she utters gently, "Let me explain."

"You are from a long line of magic wielding wizards. Your ancestry goes back about 750 years, when the Elric family emerged from the prominent McIntyre family, before they went extinct in the male line. Around 1790, your family moved to the United States in order to assist with the construction of Magical Education schools for the Colonies. However, when the Elrics decided to side with the British during the Revolutionary War, the Elric family fell out of favor with the current government. Over time, their political support dwindled, and after the war, your great-something grandfather, Ambrosius Elric, was killed shortly after sireing his heir. His wife Odite was also killed, orphaning their child. Rather than mold such a powerful family's heir into a scion of their own beliefs, the newly established "United States Embassy of Wizardry" decided to shun the Elrics and any family they married into. Over time, several Wizarding families fell out of grace simply because they thought they were marrying a Muggle, when they were actually marrying an Elric."

Pausing, Minerva allowed Lyle to process this before continuing.

"Over time, even though the family's blood was still magical, the magic within the Elrics began suppressing it's self. Even though the Elrics have somehow avoided too much exposure to Muggle DNA, the magic simply shrank down into themselves, and almost disappeared. Until you came along."

"When you were five years old, there was a burst of accidental magic that registered more powerfully than any Elric had exhibitted in over 200 years. The magic was determined to be levitory, and while it wasn't the strongest signature ever recieved, even the United Kingdom's Ministry took note of it. However, we have no jurisdiction over you at that age. You're an American citizen, so we couldn't do anything for you, and the Embassy simply deigned to ignore the magic due to old feuds."

Massaging the temples on either side of his skull, Lyle looks up at Minerva, his eyes narrowed slightly. Expelling a breath he hadn't know he'd been holding, Lyle simply asks, "So... Now what? If you guys had gotten me when I was five and woke up hovering six feet over my bed, I could see there not being a problem. I mean, I'm hardly young enough to go back to school for something like this. I mean, magic seems like something you'd teach at a young age."

Another smile graces her lips, and Minerva states, "You Lyle, are about to become a test subject. You're going to be the first living being to recieve an age reversal potion. It'll set your age back roughly eleven years, and you'll be able to attend school in Scotland at Hogwarts. We've already set the paperwork in motion. All we need is your go ahead, and we can move along."

"Of course, if you choose not to go for it, you'll forfeit the sizable fortune your ancestors accumulated, and the interest that it has accumulated over the last 200 years. The Embassy was unable to touch it, because the Goblins have a strict code against foreign governments trying to seize the assets of one of their customers."

Sizable fortune? These words caused Lyle to perk up immediately. This meant he wouldn't have to be content with an efficiency apartment for 300 dollars a month. This meant that he'd never have to worry about how his family would survive, if he ever decided to procreate. This meant that he could actually DO something with himself, rather than mooch off the government. He could turn the tide and restore his family to wealth and prosperity.

However, at the thought of his family, Lyle looks to Minerva once more. "What about my current family? My sister, my dad, and my brothers?" He left out his mother, because he felt that he didn't owe her anything. He wasn't going to use his money to make her life miserable. Heck, he might even give her something out of kindness. But he wanted to know about who he considered to be his immediate family.

"Well," Minerva starts. "Your brother Luke is 17 now. He's too old, and he's never had any accidental magic we could register. And two Elrics moving to England at once would trigger suspicion in the Embassy. As it stands, we're putting through the phony paperwork that you've been offered a scholarship in London as an advanced networking student. We're hoping they take the bait. Your sister is what we refer to as a 'Squib'. She has magical blood, but her power is inert. Inaccessible. You shouldn't even tell her what you are, until you're sure she won't take it so hard that she can't do the same things. And as for your half brother David, he's shown a few signs of magic at seven years old. This is why we've sent a job offer to your father to work in England, and we'll explain everything to him over the phone. Or you can tell him in person. It's up to you."

His mind reeling with the possibilities, Lyle grins for the first time since Minerva had shown up. "So, what about my dad? Is he going to be able to learn? I mean, he's got to have magic." Patting him on the shoulder, Minerva states, "Your father will be in our newly instated 'Muggle Liaison' office. He'll have a crash course in the spells he'll need to know, and some defensive hexes and charms. But that'll be the extent of his education, unless you decide to brush him up on some more after you complete Hogwarts."

Nodding, Lyle's mind begins to kick into overdrive. If he could simply have his age reversed by 11 years, he could very likely reverse the damage dealt by his mother. As if reading his mind, Minerva says, "Once you revert to prepubescence, your mind will revert a set amount as well. You'll still have a slight advantage over others as far as raw brainpower goes, but you won't have to worry about not fitting in." His grin widens even further as he takes a look at Minerva. Once more, her feminine curves take him by absolute surprise. She was simply too good looking for Lyle's own good. Red hair, green eyes, full naturally red lips, full thighs and rather busty. She was the epitome of everything Lyle wanted in a woman, and she was young enough to still have a tiny bit of filling out to do.

Flashing a rugged smile at her, Lyle states, "I guess I'll be too young when I graduate to ask you out, yeah?" To his surprise, she blushes a tiny bit and laughs easily, her voice an exotic melody that trilled through the air. "Well Lyle, I'm already engaged. But worry not, because my sister Kara will be starting this year as well. Perhaps given enough time, you two might start having a thing. I won't tell her your real age. That's between you, me, and the Ministry. Nobody else knows, except the Headmistress at Hogwarts, and she's taken a vow not to reveal it either." Looking upon Lyle and his husky form, she removes her wand from her pocket once more, uttering, "Hold still."

Looking up curiously, he finds her wand pointed directly at his midriff. Frowning for what felt like the millionth time in the past two hours, Lyle hears the words, "Reducio Cellulose" escape her lips. Instantly, he feels the effects of the spell. His skin crawls and tightens, morphing beneath his clothing and causing an almost unbearable itching sensation. Struggling with the implications of the spell, he uses his father's linguistic roots to trace the meaning of the Latin in the spell. "Reduce". The spell was apparently designed to shrink fat and cellulite. Obviously a glamor spell, but one he certainly appreciated as the spell wears off. Panting slightly from the slight toll the spell had taken on his body, Lyle strolls into the bathroom, his jeans barely staying on his waist as he looks in the mirror. What he found was shocking.

Minerva's spell had done more than shrink his body fat. It had even pulled the skin tight over the afflicted areas. He'd have massive stretch marks in the morning from the sudden weight loss, but he'd gone from being about 240 pounds to looking like he weighed closer to 120. Making a quick dash for the scale he kept in the kitchen, (hey, I keep my scale in the kitchen. You guys are the weird ones,) he leaps upon it. The needle wavers from the impact, but as it straightens out, Lyle rejoices. 134 pounds. Minerva had taken off 106 pounds of bulk with a single phrase and a pointed wand. Reveling in the sudden lightness of his body, Lyle leaps into the air, the shock of shaggy brown locks atop his head looking even shaggier since his face had shrunk in somewhat. Turning yet again to Minerva, he starts to speak, but she cuts him off. "Yes, it's quite permanent. Just try to stay happy enough not to overeat, and you'll be fine."

After several hours of reveling in his nearly fat free body, and more in-depth conversations about his assets and holdings in the Wizarding world, Lyle could only feel like nothing could go wrong. He didn't voice it out loud as to not jinx it, but he felt that way.

Looking exhausted, Minerva reaches into her purse once more, pulling forth a clear flash that was about as large as a pint. Inside it was a purple liquid, filling the flask to the brim. Offering it to Lyle, she says, "Drink up, and then we'll get going to London. We'll get you set up in a room at the pub, and another Ministry official should be along to help you get your supplies the next day." Eyeing the liquid carefully, Lyle feels a surge of reservations about this. Was it all real? Would he wake up and find that he wasn't Lyle Elric, newly discovered Wizard, but Lyle Elric, government leech? Shaking his head vigorously, Lyle stamps down on the doubt. No longer would be doubt himself. He was going to go learn magic, and even though magic had limits, he'd be able to do a lot more than he could now. Pausing only to cancel his SWTOR subscription, feeling a twinge of regret that he couldn't play while in the wizarding part of London, Lyle uncaps the flask and guzzles the entirety of the contents, thankful for the slightly bland, but fizzy taste. It was almost like drinking bad generic soda. Not bad, but not necessarily good eiher.

As he finishes the contents, he feels his body start to shrink down rapidly. His clothes were already too big on him after losing all that weight in an instant, but now he was losing height as well. He could almost feel his mind turning back the pendulum, regressing to a stage earlier in his development. When it was over, he stood at about 5 feet tall, only seven inches smaller than he'd been before. Making a mental note to learn how to make himself taller later, Lyle allows Miranda to cast Reducio on his clothes once more before he grabbed her by the hand. With a turn and a loud "crack!", the duo disappeared, starting Lyle's new life.

(^(0_0) (0_0)^)

Author's Note: Welp, that's Chapter Two. Yeah, it's a bit longer than the last one. =D They'll probably continue to get longer as time goes by. Rate, review, fave, or do what you gotta do. This is gonna be one wild ride, because my muse won't shut up. I usually write stories and submit them to publishers, but this is the kind I can't do that with. So, strap on in and enjoy the ride. I take all kinds of criticism, so fire away! 


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